Epic Shin-Godzilla sculpture by Takayuki Takeya

Honestly, as much as I enjoy Shin Godzilla, rewatching this scene kind of annoys me, mainly because they won't be doing anything with this concept. Knowing that they won't be making a sequel, this scene now comes off as a pointless cliffhanger that's just there for shock value. The Godzilloids (that's what I like to call them) could have been an interesting concept, but now their existence has no meaning...

This sculpture is pretty cool though.

Pretty creepy too.

Nice sculpture. 

this looks like the prop... if it isn’t then very well done. the 

SasquaDash,
It's quite the reverse really. The whole point of their introduction is only meaning. The idea that more and more has been revealed about it has obscured it unfortunately.

The film firmly established that Godzilla was the perfect life form and it evolved, mutated and adapted into what was necessary to survive, overcome and win. However, a "committee of people working together" is what beat the "perfect" life form. So what was Godzilla trying to become by the very end?

Not even Anno was going to open up about this shot because, like his work in Evangelion, he likes to leave things ambiguous and push the audience to think about the visual.

The revelation that it was the 5th form has led to more fans getting caught up over how it literally fits into the world rather than its symbolism--Which is disappointing because it doesn't matter. It was the perfect amalgam of terror and hope. Humanity is capable of so much as they work together.

also turns out they're canonically much bigger than i thought-

i actually really like the humanoid dudes

mom pick me up im scared

HUMANOIDS ARE COMIN

TO TOOOOOOOWN

G. H. (Gman)

My issue with them is that they were introduced with no actual plan of expanding on the idea. The concept of a humanoid Godzilla army could be interesting for a sequel, but because there isn't going to be a sequel, their appearance ends up feeling pointless. It's like the end of GMK when they show Godzilla's beating heart at the bottom of the ocean, hinting that he will regenerate and return, only to completely ignore that idea and continuity in following film. What's the point of introducing ideas like this if they're not going to be used? What's the point of setting up a sequel, only to not make one? Because of this, their existence feels more like a cheap twist that's only there for shock value. It's almost as if the filmmakers are saying "Hey you want to see what happens next? Well Too Bad! You don't deserve answers!" If they made a sequel that included them I wouldn't have a problem, but because they won't, it comes off as wasted potential.

SasquaDash,
I believe that line of thinking is influenced more by the MCU these days and its concept of stingers and dangling plot lines that do carry over. But there are plenty of films that end on "cliffhangers" with no intention of expansion which is exactly why I don't think it is disappointing. Think about the end of Gamera 3, or the spinning top at the end of Inception, or the star child in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The point of introducing these scenes (not ideas) is because it's meant to be seen as an expressionistic moment for the art form, not a sterile, mandated reason to continue anything. They're not setting up a sequel, they're ending the story while giving the audience something to chew on as they exit the auditorium.

Wondering where the beating heart, the 5th form and Gamera's final battle leads really misses the forest for the trees.

I've always liked things like this, where you have to think about it, or you yourself can imagine what will happen next

Kattozilla,
Me too. Leaving on cliffhangers like Gamera 3 asks, "do you have faith?" GMK asks, "Will a culture take responsibility?" Shin Godzilla wonders, "Is humanity (or more specifically Japan) coming together to face adversity enough to overcome said adversity? Will a nation come together to be stronger?"

I for one love the fact that these movies use the a visual medium to convey high concept themes. It's a distilled variation of how Un Chein Andalou showed film can be used beyond conventional storytelling. It's more interesting than using these scenes as ideas for the sake of blockbuster world expansion. It's one of the many reasons why I don't think the franchise works very well as a Hollywood blockbuster franchise--Or at least as well.

G. H. (Gman)

You said something interesting that’s made me think. Shin Godzilla is a satire of the government but is still patriotic at the same time. Rather than making the government officials caricatures and cowards or power hungry, they’re portrayed as people trying their best

SarcasticGoji,
Which is exactly the point. If Godzilla was the "perfect life form" and he was trying to evolve into a committee of people working together, what does that say about us and our potential?

G. H. (Gman)

Imagine if The Dark Knight ended with Batman growing a second head that spits acid, only for them to completely ignore it in the sequel, never mentioning how or why it happened. Why would they add something like that? Who knows, maybe there's a meaning to it...

SasquaDash,
Which is a cute try and all, but hardly seriously comparable since nothing in The Dark Knight sets up such a precedence, whereas Shin Godzilla did.

Additionally, it should be noted that Nolan didn't want to do a sequel to The Dark Knight and leave it on the cliff hanger of Batman driving away.

It's terrifying, it's horrific, it's disgusting... and it's beautiful!!!